**Bhubaneswar:** Hockey India on Wednesday dropped the names of Odia stars Birendra Lakra and Amit Rohidas from the 25-member core group for the upcoming national camp, which will begin from September 16 at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium, Bhubaneswar.
The camp, which includes a month-long training, will conclude on October 14 ahead of the ten-day Asian Champions Trophy, where the Indian side will go as defending champions.
The announcement of the probables has come as a big disappointment for Odia Hockey fans. With this it has become quite obvious that no local player will find a spot in the Hockey World Cup which will be played at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar this year.
Going by the reports, Lakra has been dropped for an injury. But nothing substantial has emerged, why Rohidas was dropped from the conditioning camp. Rumous mills are abuzz that after a disappointing show in the 18th Asian Games, Hockey India is mooting to revamp the squad.
“The squad will be looking at overcoming the setback and regroup with a fresh perspective in the run-up to the much-awaited Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018,” a former National Captain said.
Indian Coach Harendra Singh has also expressed disappointment over the team’s performance in the Asiad. “The Bronze Medal was a consolation and there is no excuse for not making it to the Final of the 18th Asian Games Jakarta-Palembang,” Singh said.
The former Hockey Capitan however said that there was no appropriate ground for dropping Amit Rohidas. “It cannot be justified. He was performing well and stakes were high on the local boy,” he added.